Katie Lee writes about technology, web 2.0 and new media and was the founding editor of Shiny Shiny – the first gadgets site for women. She co-founded Shiny Media, and in 2008 was voted one of London’s most influential people by the Evening Standard. When she’s not on the internet, she’s camping in her woodland in Kent or making yet another crochet blanket in front of the TV.

Quirky: Social product development

Would you stick your big idea onto social product development website? The people over at quirky certainly hope so. After all, their big idea is to make money out of all your big ideas.

Founder, Ben Kaufman, the 22-year-old behind mophie (iPhone accessories) and kluster (a group decision making tool), wants you to pay $99 to post your idea to quirky and join the community in rating other people's ideas. Each product idea gets a seven-day evaluation period, during which time the community picks its favourite concept before moving on to product development and design discussions. In that time, those who have contributed to the decision-making process also earn the right to take a small cut of any sales made.

The products then go into "pre-sale" during which time you can buy the product, but won't be charged until the sales threshold has been reached. If 500 people pledge to buy, that's when the product moves onto production and credit cards get charged.

The first product was the Sling Back, which has reached 117 our of its 500 pre-sale target. It's a little plastic device that converts your cables into retractable cables so you can tidy them out of the way and it'll set you back $9.99. Other products on sale are the Ouch Pouch (a trendy sling for broken arms) and the Presto, which squeezes the water out of your tofu and cuts it into bit-size pieces.

The company doesn't own the IP on your product – and you can take it elsewhere if you prefer – and there's nothing to stop other companies from pinching your ideas, but if you want a spot of market research done, and you're prepared to pay $99 to upload your idea, this seems like a relatively inexpensive option.

So far, the products aren't exactly blowing me away, but it's unlikely we'll ever see something that can match up to the innovation of a Dyson vacuum cleaner or a Trevor Bayliss wind-up radio. But Dyson's ball wheel barrow would probably have fitted right in, and most of the stuff you see in the Innovations catalogue would find a happy home.

So if someone wants to invent a laptop lid that my cat doesn't insist on sleeping on, or a fruit bowl that sends an email when the pears have finally ripened, I'll be ready with the credit card.